New Website Confirms Increased K-12 Funding Since 2012

Overall state and local investment in public education has increased by hundreds of dollars per student since Governor Snyder took office

Lansing, MI – Today, the Great Lakes Education Project (GLEP) released a new website that confirms overall education funding has increased by hundreds of dollars per student in Michigan’s K-12 school districts during the last 3 years. Funding levels in the newly-signed Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 School Aid Budget, which is $1 billion higher than 2012, are actually the highest in history.

MiKidsFirst.com, hosted by the GLEP, includes details on the state and local funding for over 800 traditional and charter public school districts for FY 2012, 2013, and 2014. GLEP is a vocal advocate to end the nearly $1,000 per-pupil funding equity gap for basic operational expenses.

“Despite numerous false claims from partisan advocates about draconian cuts to public education, this unvarnished and comprehensive data proves, beyond any doubt, that Michigan’s investment in education has risen,” said Gary Naeyaert, Executive Director of GLEP. “Since passage of Proposal A in 1994, we’ve shifted from funding districts to funding students, and while challenges remain, there is no doubt that K-12 education funding has increased.”

The following are funding increases in a variety of school districts from 2012 to 2014:

Marquette Area Public Schools, up $434 per student

Howell Public Schools, up $382 per student

Warren Consolidated Schools, up $350 per student

Forest Hills Public Schools, up $256 per student

Detroit Edison Public School Academy, up $69 per student

The new website includes line-by-line details of all state support for local school districts, including the foundation grant and funding for at-risk programs, performance, best practices, school lunches, technology, data collection, and support for MPSERS, the public teacher retirement system.

GLEP said the website includes all state and local operational funds for school districts; but does not include billions in revenue from 24 districts with hold-harmless operating millages, federal funds and local revenue for capital expenditures.

The site will be updated soon to reflect FY 2015 data, and people are encouraged to use #MiKidsFirst.